Visaka Pre-School Kadawatha, opened their doors to Sati Pasala on the 17th October 2017, from 10.00 am – 01.00 pm. to spend a few hours with the youngsters and teachers. There were approximately 150 students and 20 teachers. The head of school Mrs. Visaka Jayawardane also participated in the proceedings.
The Sati Pasala facilitator was able to hold the little tots’ interests in doing the mindful sitting by placing their favourite toy on their stomach. They observed how the toy went up and down with each breath. They also did the mindful sitting by listening to “Peace button” song. The facilitator was able to get their feedback on what they felt during this activity.
After giving very clear instructions on how they should do mindful walking & with the help of three kids who demonstrated how to walk mindfully, the children were able to do this activity with great success. The very insightful comments they gave as feedback was a clear indication that they had really understood the meaning of walking mindfully.
The kids and the teachers were given a piece of chocolate to train themselves in mindful eating. They had to hold the chocolate for a little time to check the weight, the texture, the smell etc. They were given guidance on how to eat the chocolate slowly & mindfully noting the different sensations they experienced as they slowly munched on the piece of chocolate. Some kids really enjoyed the sensation of keeping the chocolate in the mouth & allowing it to slowly melt. They drank the water thereafter practicing mindfulness by keeping the water in the mouth without gulping it down immediately. Thereafter they kids had an opportunity of expressing themselves by drawing pictures.
Once the kids’ program was over, the facilitator was able to share ideas with the teachers on how to spread mindfulness amongst little kids. The teachers were very interested in knowing the ways & means of applying mindfulness to day to day activities. They understood the effectiveness of its practice to overcome certain difficulties they were likely to face. The program was brought to a conclusion by showing the videos on mindful sitting and walking.
Drawings done by kids: